News from Mathnasium of Yukon

Know the Difference Between Excuses and Empathy in Math Class

Aug 16, 2017

Struggling Kids feel Frustrated and Overwhelmed

Do you know a child who struggles in math, or another subject? Sometimes kids who are struggling get so overwhelmed they stop giving that subject their best effort. As a parent or teacher you want to see them succeed. It's normal to feel empathetic to their struggle but get frustrated with their attitude and level of effort.

Empathy versus Excuse

Empathy means “The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” As adults we can empathize with the many feelings children experience that go along with math struggles. These feelings may include frustration, anger, overwhelmed, self-doubt, and self-pity. Good ways to show empathy to the struggling child include: listening, asking follow-up questions, brainstorming solutions, spending quality time with them, and hugging them.

Excuse means “The release of someone of responsibility.” Don’t excuse the children from doing their math homework or getting good math grades at school. Never say, “Oh, that’s okay. Some people just aren’t too good at math” or “I was never any good at math either.” Those statements make the lack of skills seem permanent and unchangeable.

A child who gets excused from working hard in math will end up in a downward spiral. A lack of effort leads falling further behind. Falling further behind will further erode the child’s self-confidence.

Try saying, “I hear how frustrated you are. It must be so difficult to sit in math class and not understand what the teacher is saying. Let’s work together to solve this problem.” A child who gets both empathy and a push to work through the struggles will learn perseverance and get stronger math skills. When they eventually learn the material, they can look back on the experience to give them the confidence that they can conquer other challenges in math, and in life.

Working hard should be coupled with a strategy for success. Our no-risk assessment will let you know exactly which areas your child needs extra help.

Mathnasium of Yukon can help your child set a plan in motion and give them a strategy for working hard and having a successful attitude. Click here to see our results! Want to know more? Give us a call today at (405) 324-4005.

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We are so pleased with the tutoring that Acacia gets from Mathnasium! We are also pleased with the level of instructors you employ. Not only do they "know their stuff" but they actually care about the students and want to see them succeed. I have recommended Mathnasium to parents at Acacia's school.

Mathnasium provides a wonderfully thorough approach to teaching Math from the “inside out.” Students don’t just learn Math by rote - they learn the underlying concepts and applications for each aspect of what they’re learning. My son has learned a lot and enjoys the lessons. Michael and his staff are very knowledgeable and supportive!

Mathnasium of Yukon Reviews

February 14, 2018

M.E.

We are so pleased with the tutoring that Acacia gets from Mathnasium! We are also pleased with the level of instructors you employ. Not only do they "know their stuff" but they actually care about the students and want to see them succeed. I have recommended Mathnasium to parents at Acacia's school.

Mathnasium provides a wonderfully thorough approach to teaching Math from the “inside out.” Students don’t just learn Math by rote - they learn the underlying concepts and applications for each aspect of what they’re learning. My son has learned a lot and enjoys the lessons. Michael and his staff are very knowledgeable and supportive!

My daughter has never really liked math. HOWEVER, I can tell that she really is starting to *get* math because of Mathnasium and she said it "was even kind of fun" on Saturday. I realize that does not sound positive, but that is A LOT coming from a teenage girl.

Our daughter always struggled with math in elementary school. In 5th grade she continued the struggle and really started to fear math. She would be able to just start to understand a concept and it was time to move to the next one. Never had proficiency on any concept. Then we went for an evaluation with Mathnasium. Even she was excited to hear that they could help her understand the big math world. She started in May 2016 and we saw improvement on her frustration almost immediately. Today she reminds us that she has "math" and can't and is always excited to see all the math teachers at Mathnasium. She has brought her math grade from C's to straight A's with comprehension and proficiency. Thank you all at Mathnasium for taking away the tears and fears of math for our family.

My son LOVES going to Mathnasium and is now asking to stay longer each time he goes. He starts conversations daily involving the math he is working on. We couldn't be more thrilled with his progress and love for learning math.